Four Little Monkeys

"Hannah, please stop smacking your little sister with the blanket."

"HANNAH! STOP HITTING CLAIRE!"

"But Mom! I'm just playing Whack-a-Mole!"

Awww, isn't she cute?! Bryan and I decided to jump on the DSLR bandwagon, so I took a few shots of Claire one morning to test out our new toy. It was a lot of fun! I have a lot to learn, but I think I am really going to like this camera!
 This is a sight that very few people see anymore - Claire wearing a headband. Unlike her big sister, Claire does not like anything in her hair. Every time I try, this is what happens...

 There, that's more like it.


Claire is almost 9 months old now and VERY mobile! She crawls anywhere she wants to go and pulls herself up on everything!
Posing for the camera...LOVE those legs!

Claire is really loving her new-found freedom. She gets into everything within her reach.


Claire now has three teeth, and one on the way (which explains the constant ring of drool down the front of her shirt). She has gotten really bored of pureed baby food and loves to eat only "people food" - Cheerios, cheese, yogurt, bananas, bread, pasta, etc. She is very vocal, constantly shrieking, squealing and babbling. She says "Da Da" a lot, but we're not sure if she knows what it means. She says "Ma Ma" only when she is very mad and wants attention.
She is such an easygoing baby with a lively and friendly personality.We all adore our little Claire Bear.

Andrew turned the big 1-OH on January 4th. Crazy! Ten years! A decade! A tenth of a century! Wow, you are old, Buddy! Or maybe just your mother is.
We had an awesome time at Laser Fun Zone for his birthday party. We ate pizza and chocolate cheesecake and played two games of laser tag. Even his old mom had fun running and ducking behind walls to jump out an tag an unsuspecting by passer from the opposing team. Seriously, it was super fun!

This was the first time I didn't make Andrew a cake for his birthday. The night before, he came to me and said, "Hey Mom, I have a great idea - CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE! From the Cheesecake Factory!" So I made a little trip down to the CF (55 miles - see how much I love you?) and picked up the chocolate-est cheesecake I could find - the Hershey's Chocolate Bar Cheesecake. And yes, it was as good as it sounds! That WAS a great idea, Buddy!
Andrew is always so kind to include his brother Logan and Logan's best friend, Mark, with all his friends! What a good big brother!
  Traditional birthday questionnaire coming soon!

If you watched Sesame Street much during the 80's, you probably remember these guys:


The Yip Yip Martians scared the pants off me when I was a kid!
As an adult, I think they are pretty funny and make for awesome halloween costumes! Bryan and I took 1st runner up in the costume contest last night!

...SCUBA divers, that is!  Bryan and I decided to take an open water scuba course in order to be certified in time for our cruise. We started out doing the bookwork and written exams online and then arranged to do our practical skill dives with a local dive shop here in Olympia.

I love you, Claire! Even more than last month.